This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No 06/830,283 filed Feb. 18, 1986 by the same inventor as herein, entitled Disposable Attachment for Portable Hair Dryer for Drying Delicate Items of Wearing Apparel.
Travelers, especially women, who spend extended periods staying in hotels and motels that seldom have laundry facilities, nevertheless find it desirable each evening to wash delicate items of clothing such as stockings, pantyhose, lingerie and the like. The main concern of such travelers is that these garments be dry when travel is resumed. Since there are seldom drying facilities available, various subterfuges are resorted to, such as blowing the hot air from a hair dryer onto and through the garments as they are streched out on the shower rod, blotting up most of the unwanted moisture between turkish towels, hanging the garments in a doorway or in front of a window, or the like efforts. As anyone knows who has traveled extensively, none of these efforts is completely satisfactory.
Although no one has apparently invented such a device prior to the present invention, various efforts have been made to develop satisfactory drying devices for other purposes, using the heated air from Personal hair dryers or the like. Waters et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,321 discloses an appliance with its own enclosed heater and blower, for drying wet hair. It includes a flexible manifold containing the blower and dryer for circulating heated air through ducts in the manifold which direct the air onto and through the hair.
Baslow U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,076 discloses a fixture to be attached to a portable hair dryer for directing heated air therefrom for the purpose of drying towels and other fabric articles draped over a perforated rod, through which the heated air is forced and from which the heated air passes through the fabric articles.
Hibino et al U.S Pat. No. 4,151,658 discloses a portable air heater and blower which is connected to an inflatable but porous bag which is placed between damp bed linens, for the purpose of drying said linens.
Sweetland U.S. Pat. No. 2,122,964 discloses a dryer for blowing heated air over a medical cast newly molded onto a broken or otherwise injured body member.
Finally, Yamac U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,263 discloses a travel iron which is heated by the hot air from a hair dryer temporarily attached thereto.
None of the foregoing disclosures reveals or suggests a perforated inflatable collapsible pouch attached to an air heater and blower, into which pouch or bag is placed delicate items of wearing apparel, for the purpose of drying said items by the heated air from the blower.